Confusion about what should and shouldn’t be recycled? You’re not alone – and it’s causing some people to ignore recycling altogether.
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Articles on Bioplastics
Displaying 1 - 20 of 22 articles
Polylactic acid – a popular bioplastic – does not readily break down when released into the ocean, and could disrupt marine ecosystems
Compostable food waste bin caddies are the main sustainable use for bioplastics at present. Almost all bioplastics are ending up in landfill.
Alternative food containers, such as those made of bioplastics, are being promoted as a way to reduce our exposure to plastic in food. But there is still a lack of knowledge around their impacts.
The US Environmental Protection Agency is reexamining the health effects of bisphenol A. A chemist explains why BPA is in plastics and why it’s hard to find a safe replacement.
Plastic is made from oil and natural gas, which started out as fossilized plant and animal material. But buried deep underground for millions of years, those materials changed in important ways.
The COVID-019 pandemic has boosted use of disposable packaging and personal protective equipment, at the same time that many recycling programs are facing budget cuts. The upshot: More plastic trash.
We don’t notice the plant species we’re losing, but we won’t be able to ignore the effect of their loss on our supply of food and medicine.
Biodegradable bags still strong enough to carry shopping after three years in the ground show that ‘biodegradability’ isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
China, which once processed much of the world’s scrap, has slashed imports of “foreign garbage.” What can the US do to step up recycling at home?
Researchers unpack the vast impact of plastic on our society – from emerging health worries and pollution to recycling and plastic’s contributions to modern convenience.
One big problem with plastics is that they’re largely made of petroleum. Sourcing bio-polymers from plants and bacteria has some big benefits – and the technology is starting to take off.
Bio-based plastics made from natural sources break down more easily than conventional plastic, without producing toxic byproducts. But for this to happen they have to be composted, not buried in landfills.
How do you help a country get over plastic? By creating awareness and minor inconveniences and by providing lots of reminders.
Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of the seaweed that offers a solution for the global plastic crisis.
Banning plastic bags in food distribution is complicated and not all municipalities are on board. Are bioplastics a solution?
Truly green plastic requires more than sustainable raw materials.
Plant-based, sustainable plastics may hold many of the answers to our plastic problems.
China, which recycles much of the world’s waste material, is slashing its scrap imports. This move could force the United States and Europe to boost recycling instead of shipping trash overseas.
Tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean each year, but a switch away from petroleum-based products to bio-derived and degradable composites could lessen marine pollution.
Top contributors
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Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
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Associate professor, Heriot-Watt University
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Director of the School of Packaging, Michigan State University
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Associate Professor of Packaging, Michigan State University
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Associate Professor and Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
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Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
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Professor of Sustainable Development, Keele University
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Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab, Professor in Food Distribution and Policy, Dalhousie University
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Research Fellow at BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University
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Professor of Global Environmental Politics, University of California, Berkeley
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Professor of materials science and engineering, University of Waikato
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Postdoctoral Researcher in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University
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Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of York
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Research Chair, Indigenous Approaches to Environmental Management, Keele University
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Associate Professor, School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University
